Helpful Information for Health Professionals Licensed in Other Countries

Helpful information for health professionals licensed in other countries, as well as refugee workforce development activities coordinated by the federal government. Includes link to Disability Navigator Program information (program piloted in several states).
New Resource: Fact sheets on recertification/re-licensing of refugee professionals
As a result of a Department of Labor and Office of Refugee Resettlement collaboration, three new fact sheets on recertification/re-licensing of refugee professionals are now available at this
website.

Best Practice Recommendations For Hospital-Based Interpreter Services

The Best Practice Recommendations have been developed by MDPH, in consultation with abroad array of Massachusetts organizations active in promoting the provision of competent interpreter services, including Boston Medical Center, the Boston Public Health Commission,Cambridge Health Alliance, the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, the Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance, Health Care for All, the Latino Health Institute, Lowell Community Health Center, the Massachusetts English Plus Coalition, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, the Massachusetts Medical Interpreters Association, the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants, the Massachusetts Refugee and Immigrant Coalition, the Minority Health and Refugee and Immigrant Health Advisory Councils for the DPH, New England Medical Center, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health Care

CLAS Standards Activity worksheet provides strategies for addressing provider adherence to the Office of Minority Health’s National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health Care. It was developed using Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) feedback obtained during the Underserved Quality Improvement Organization Support Center (UQIOSC) 1d2 Regional Training sessions in May/June 2005.

CLAS Standards document from the Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2000).National Standards for Culturally and LinguisticallyAppropriate Services (CLAS) in Health Care. Federal Register, 65(247), 80865-80879.http://www.omhrc.gov/clas/finalcultural1a.htm

English-Spanish Dictionary of Health Related Terms

An excellent resource for health professionals. We would like to introduce a English-Spanish Dictionary of Health Related Terms. It was developed for the use by health care personnel and other professionals working with the Latino population in the United States. The main purpose of the dictionary is to strengthen the means of communication between Spanish-speaking populations and the health workers serving them, and also, to facilitate dialogue by reducing cultural and linguistic barriers. This dictionary is not intended to be a complete compendium on the subject, nor is it a text to teach Spanish. It contains terms organized in alphabetical order, including culture specific expressions associated with diseases, vocabulary used in Mexican traditional medicine, and folk terms utilized among migrants/ immigrants to describe illnesses and symptoms. This project was inspired by the “English-Spanish Glossary for Health Aids”, published in 1999 by the Primary and Rural Health Care Systems Branch, California Department of Health Services. The California-
Mexico Health Initiative (CMHI), California Policy Research Center, University of California Office of the President in partnership with the California Department of Health Services, Office of Binational Border Health (COBBH), edited and expanded the Glossary, using materials from other organizations and numerous sources of information.

Spanish Resources

There are some great Spanish resources from Good Agricultural Practices Network (GAPsNet) for Education and Training. You can link to them at the Cornell website.

There are also health resources in Spanish at the Northern WI AHEC Healthy Wisconsin website.

“Do Professional Interpreters Improve Clinical Care for Patients with Limited English Proficiency? A Systematic Review of the Literature.”

Leah Karliner, a member of The Network for Multicultural Health at the Center for the Health Professions, UC San Francisco, co-authored an article entitled “Do Professional Interpreters Improve Clinical Care for Patients with Limited English Proficiency? A Systematic Review of the Literature.” The article examines whether professional medical interpreters have a positive impact on clinical care for limited English proficiency patients.


For information about The Network and a link to the article, go to their website.

National Center for Cultural Competence

National Center for Cultural Competence - Georgetown University
* See their newsletter for up to date info on cultural competency
* Links to federal programs on cultural equality
* Read about their topical conference call offerings
* Good info about upcoming conferences and workshops

New Web-based Toolkit

The Health Research and Educational Trust, with its partners, is pleased to present this Toolkit for collecting race, ethnicity, and primary language information in health care organizations. It is designed to help hospitals, health systems, community health centers, health plans, and other potential users in understanding the importance of accurate data collection, assessing organizational capacity to do so, and implementing a framework designed specifically for obtaining information from patients/enrollees about their race, ethnicity, and primary (preferred) language efficiently, effectively, and respectfully.

Legal Precedent Set for Web Accessibility

Federal Judge Sustains Discrimination Claims Against Target; Precedent Establishes That Retailers Must Make Their Websites Accessible to the Blind Under the ADA. Please read this important news release at the Yahoo News Website.